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Scientists Establish Link Between Diet Soda And Heart Stroke

Speculations about diet soda and heart stroke had been making rounds. But now American Stroke Assn.’s International Stroke Conference has confirmed the diet soda and heart stroke risk. Studies have come up with a shocking report about the relation between diet soda and heart attack. A links has been established between the intake of diet soda quantities of a person and the risk of the person developing heart attack or stroke.

Diet soda and heart stroke study kicked off in 2003. About 2,564 people were asked to provide information regarding the diet soda intake quantities. Now, after 9 years of completing the study, 559 cardiovascular events were recorded. And the shocking factor is that people who used diet soda on a daily basis are reported to have 60% higher risk of heart attacks and strokes. So, that is diet soda and heart stroke relationship.

In the next phase of diet soda and heart attack study, factors like sex, age, race, exercise, smoking, alcohol and daily calorie intake were added for further diet soda and heart stroke research. While factors inducing heart attack and other heart diseases were included, like metabolic syndrome, it was found that people who consumed diet soda daily had 48% more chances of developing heart diseases.

According to Hannah Gardener, who is the leader of the research group from University of Miami School of Medicine, the confirmation of the results of diet soda and heart stroke study will result in avoiding diet soda as “substitute for sugar-sweetened beverages for protection against vascular outcomes”.

Even though a link of diet soda and heart stroke has been established, diet soda and heart stroke are not definitely in a cause and effect relationship. Diet soda is one among the factors, but other factors including a lousy diet can cause heart attacks and strokes.

According to Dr. Steven Greenberg, a neurology professor at Harvard Medical School, “You try to control for everything but you can’t.” The unreliable self reports pave way for this diet soda and heart stroke study to have lesser impact on the diet soda drinking people. Yet another factor which makes this diet soda and heart attack report not so crucial is the lack of timeliness and accuracy of the data. The inputs were gathered in 2003 and over this 9 years, the habits would have changed. So, establishing diet soda and heart stroke link based on this data doesn’t seem to be a valid one.

Moreover this is not the first study trying to establish diet soda and heart stroke link. Framingham heart study had previously tried to establish the diet soda and heart attack link.

So, let us wait to see what more is there in store in this diet soda and heart strike study. Unless we don’t get a comprehensive, well-established report, you won’t be able to say diet soda causes heart attacks and stroke.